Machine for breaking, cleaning, and softening fiber.



C. COLAHAN. MACHINE FOR BREAKING, CLEANING, AND SOFTENING FIBER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1909.

, 1 01,407, Patented June 23, 1914.

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Im. WITNESSES INVENTOR,

G. OOLAHAN.

MACHINE FOR BREAKING, CLEANING, AND SOFTENING FIBER.

APPLICATION FILED MA! 12, 1909.

1,101,407. Patented June 23, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I',- I 1 "H". lllllllllllllllllllllllll I l l WITNESSES INVENTORJ m iw CHARLES CGIJAHAN, OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY.

MACHINE FOB BREAKING, CLEANING, AND SOFTENIN'G FIBER.

Sp fication of Letters r t st Patented June 23, late.

Application filed May 12, 1909. fierial No. 495,517.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES COLAHAN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Lexington, in the county of Fayette and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Breaking, Cleaning, and Softening Fiber, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The invention relates to improvements in the manner of operating the devices in a machine for breaking, cleaning and softening fiber of hemp or flax, to separate the woody part and other substances from the fiber by means of corrugated fluted rollers between which the stalks are crushed, and the gums adhering to the fiber, loosened and separated by the action of the rollers.

, I have found in many years use of machines of this kind, that it is important to provide means within control of the operator, to apply a diilerential motion to the corrugated crushing rollers when the machine is in operation, and to change the relative back and forward rotary action on the stalks being fed in butt first, which is the larger end of the stalk and is harder, and the fiber is coarser than the finer upper end fol? lowing, and that the upper end does not require the same amount of roller action that is applied to the butts of the stalks. I find that by changing and varying the reverse or backward rotation of the rollers, and im* parting a greater number of revolutionsto the forward rotations on the butts than on the upper or finer end of the stalk the fiber is improved, and I have provided means for decreasing and changing the rotary action of the reverse movement, while the machine is in operation, as hereinafter shown and described.

A further object of'my invention is to provide in connection with the breaking and crushing rollers means to im art a continu} ous forward rotary. motion t' ereto which s desirable in certain conditions of fiber.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved method of feeding, by placing the stalks or bundle upon 'the table supplying the fiber stalks or bundle to the machine obliquely at the receiving side of the rollers, whereby the stalks will be taken in diagonally and advanced laterally and separatelv by the rollers, and thus clear the space on the table at the feeding point for the succeeding bundle, and the fiber passes outwardly 'from the crushing rollers and is delivered in separate skeins without entangling with the succeeding bundle, as the fiber of each bundle will pass through without contacting. I find this oblique feeding of the stalks to the rollers is a great improvement over the old way of feeding direct and continuously at right angles, as the receiving space between the rollers is kept clear for the next succeeding bundle, and the outgoing bundle or its portion of fiber is free from that succeeding, and is delivered separately in the best and straightest condition for hackling, and this manner of feeding the bundle obliquely, largely increases the intaking capacity of the machine.

In the drawings, Figure 1, is a plan view. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the gearing of the lower rollers and the main intermediate gear with devices for imparting and varying the backward motion by. the controlling cam lever, the corrugated teeth of the up or roller serving as the actuating gear 0 the breaking rollers being shown in dotted lines. F ig. 3 is a "front elevation partly in section. Fig. 4: is a detail view on an enlarged scale of the changeable connect ing devices for imparting the backward action of the rollers and the regulating pawl and its controlling cam lever, shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5'5 of Fig. 4:. Fig. 6 is a side view at the other end of the shaft showing the power transmitting deviceswhich impart forward rotary motionto the cmshing rollers through the main gear wheel and its shaft.

, In the drawings 1 is the main frame secured to standard 2.

2 is the roller adjusting screw plate.

3 is the crank actuating power shaft with its pulleys imparting the difi'erential motion to the breaking rollers 13 and 14: through its cranks 5 and 6 that actuate the pit-man rods 5 6, through the pawl cranks 7 and 8 on main gear shaft 9. Ratcheted crank 8 imparts an intermittent forward motion to the breaking rollers through its pawl 8 and ratchet plate 9 that issecured to the main shaft 9, for actuating the main gear 10.

7 is the changeable pawl crank imparting the variable backward motion to the rollers,

which is regulated or disconnected by the pawl actuatin cam 23 that is secured to the adjusting ratc iet'lever 22, supported on the main gear shaft 9 and held to any desired position on the ratchet plate 26 by means of its thumb pawl 25.

24 is the pawl adjusting cam pointthat contacts with the vibrating crank sliding.

ward rotation of the main shaft 9, or disconnecting the same.

15 and 16 are the elastically held upper roller journal and bearings, 18 is the rubber cushion secured by plate 19 under the roller adjusting screw plate 2*. The bundle receiving and feedmg table 27 has vertical guiding sides to guide and direct the stalks obliquely as they are fed intermittently to the breaking and crushing rollers.

28 is the outer fiber receiving table.

The power shaft 3 impartin rotary reciprocating motion to the brea ing rollers is journaled at the base of the machine, and is provided with the usual fast and loose driving pulleys for a ower belt, While the upper main gear shaft 9 is also provided with similar pulleys shown in dotted lines on outer end of said shaft 9 in Fig. 1, that may at the will of the operator, be caused to impart a direct continuous forward rotary motion to the breaking rollers as the reciprocating backward pawl movement is disconnected from the shaft 3, as it is not operated in all of,the work required of the machine. Thus a rapid forward breaking action of the rollers may with advantage be applied on some of the kinds and condition of hemp, on which the machine is operating.

Any suitable power transmission devices may be used, thevmachine being susceptible of being operated and intermittently changed at the will of the driver, at different-times, by means of two separate driving pulleys, one on the crank shaft at the base, that imparts the intermittent back and forward motion to the pitman pawls and ratchets, the other on the main gear shaft, to impart continuous forward rotary motion to the breaking and crushing rollers, when the backward pawl and ratchet is disconnected, as stated.

The operator feeding or placing the bundles of stalks into the machine closely observes the action of the crushing rollers on the varying kinds and conditions of the material being operated on, and the above devices provide means to quickly change the back rotation of the rollers in relation to the forward rotation, while crushing the stalks encircling the backward rotation and fiber passing between the intermittently revolving rollers. The back rotation may be diminished. or stopped while the, forward rotation continues to' carry forward outwardly, and deliver from the rollers more rapidly and with less crushing effect upqn the fiber. The effect described is accomplished by manually operating the lever 22,

that controls or steps the backward rotation. ,It is a well known fact that the fiber on p plants in difi'erent localities, is not always of the same weight or tensile strength, and in cleaning by mechanical means, it can not all be treated alike, as such treatment would inj ure a considerable portion, of the finer fiber,

on a large part of the straw grown in the same field, and which is all subjected to- 1 gether at the same time to breaking and cleaning by the machine, and in this form of machine it is important to provide means for an increase or decrease the relative intermittent crushing action of the rollers while the 3 machine is in action.

In operation of machine the breaking rollers rotateintermittently orward and backward the rotation forward being greater than backward, which rotation is varied to give less backward movement by means of an adjustable lever cohtrollin the pawl connection with the ratchet, to dlfl'erentiate this movement. -The backward rotation is readily changed or adjusted, while the machine is' running at a high rate of speed, and is effected by operating the hand lever 22 changing the position of its pawl 25 to any desired position on the ratchet holding plate26. This regulates the engaging position of the cam 23 and its point. 24 with-.

in the aperture 7 of thesliding pawl'bearing bolt of the actuating crank 7 to impart of the main gear 10, as the stalks are fed into and bein crushed by the breaking rollers thus admitting the continuous operation of the machine, that is otherwise adjusted as desired before starting up. It will be clearly observed this device is effective in its function, as it providesa quick application of means for the speedy adjustment and changing as desired.

In varying the backward rotation by means of the adjusting lever and its cam, operating in connection with the sliding pawl bearing fulcrum of the bolt 7, its pivoted pawl 7 is controlled in its engagement with the ratchet plate by means of the cam 23 provided with point 24, the end of which may be projected within the opening 7, by movement of lever 22 and adjusted-to secure a greater or less rotation backward in its movementby causing it to act at different points in the stroke of the pawl crank 7,

made without departing from what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent.

1. In a machine of the kind described having crushing rollers, a feeding means arranged to admit the stalks diagonally and longitudinally to their travel through the rollers providing means for intermittently supplying the stalks obliquely to the rollers.

2. In a machine of the kind described having crushing rollers, means directly adjathe relative rotary action of the rollers while crushing the stalks, at the will of the operator, while the machine is in action.

4. In a brake a series of pairs of breaking rollers in combination with a gear shaft and a pulley shaft means whereby an independent forward and backward movement or a continuous forward movement may be imparted to the breaking rollers at the will of the operator.

CHARLES COLAHAN. Witnesses: g

M. H. COLAHAN, WALLER B. HUNT. 

